Improvement in car-couplings



. zontal section of some of the parts.

UNITED SrA'rEs FFIICE.

XAVIER ST. PIERRE, OF OPHIR CITY, UTAH TERRITORY.

IMPROVEMENT lN GAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 144,038, dated October28, 1873; application filed August 30, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, XAVIER ST. PIERRE, of Ophir City, in the county ofTooele and Territory of Utah, have invented a new and ImprovedOar-Coupling, of which the following is a specification:

My invention consists of a pair of springjaws, side by side, with headsor enlargements near the front end, between which a double-headedcoupler enters, and is secured by the heads of the jaws engaging itbehind its head, the jaws being confined against springing open by aforked locking-key, which drops down with one of its prongs or forks oneach side of the jaws. The forked locking device is raised and loweredby a handled elbow-lever; and a catch is combined with said lever, toengage it just after it has raised the locking device, and hold it upuntil the cars are to be coupled again; and this catch is so coupledwith one of the spring coupling-jaws that, when it is swung back by thelever to allow it to pass beyond said catch, the latter is caused towithdraw the said coupling-jaw, to allowthe coupler to escape freely anduncouple the cars.. A spring is combined with the elbow-lever of thelocking device, to in sure the return of the latter to confine thecoupling-jaws when'the elbow-lever is released by the spring-catch.

By employing the locking device with the spring-jaws they can be mademuch less powerful in the springs than they can be when the springsalone are relied on to hold the coupler, and thus they allow the couplerto enter and withdraw, when not secured by the looking device, withoutthe aid of powerful apparatus for opening them.

Figure l is an end elevation of a car with my improved couplingapparatus applied, with a part of the draw-head broken out, and asection of the coupler. Fig. 2 is a plan of a portion of the bottom ofthe car, and a horizontal section of some of the parts. Fig. 3 is a planof the top of the platform, and a hori- Fig. 4 is a plan view, and Fig.5 is a side elevation, of the coupler.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. i

A represents the draw-head, with the usual socket in the end for thecoupler. B represents the coupling-jaws. They are arranged by the sidesof the draw-head, which are slotted, as shown at O, for the head D. Thejaws are pivoted to the draw-bar E at F, and provided with the springsG, for closing them against the stops d. The front ends of the jaws arebeveled, at H, to correspond with the bevel of the mouth of the socketof the drawhead, so that the head I of the coupler J will glide inbetween them, and force them apart sufficiently for the head to passbeyond the heads D, so that they can close behind said head and retainit. K is the forked locking device, which falls down after the head hasbeen thus engaged, and confines the springjaws by its prongs L, so thatthe strain of the head J upon the heads D cannot force them apart andallow the coupler to escape. The prongs of this locking device work invertical mortises M in a metal frame, N, surrounding the draw-head, andare supported by said frame against the pressure of the jaws B. The saidlocking device is jointed to the short arm of an elbow-lever, O, bywhich it is raised and lowered. Said lever is pivoted, at P, to the endof the platform, and swings, near the upper end, along a guide, Q, atthe outer end of which is a catch, R, for engaging the lever, to holdthe locking device up. This catch is attached to the verticaloscillating shaft S, which has an arm, T, at the lower end, which isconnected, by the link U and rod V, with one of the jaws B, so that whenthe lever strikes the catch and swings 1t aroimd to pass it, the catchtiuns the shaft S, so as to pull the jaw back and release the coupler atthe moment the locking device rises above the jaws, and releases them.The lever O is thrown back, to let the locking device fall, by the arm aand spring I). Then the coupler is allowed to escape freely, and withoutthe great labor necessary when it is held entirely by the spring of thejaws. The draw-bar is arranged to slide forward and back in slots in acouple of pieces, W, held up to the bottom of the car by stirrups X orbolts, and haying strong springs of rubber, Z, traversing the slots inwhich the draw slides, to neutralize the shocks.

2 Impose The draw-head is jointed to this draw-bar at Z.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination of the locking device K v with thecoupling-jaws B and the coupler J substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the elbow-lever O,

catch R, rock-shaft S, and arm '1 with the locking device K and one ofthe coupling-jaws, the arm T being connected to jaw by a rod and link,all substantially as specified.

XAVIER ST. PIERRE.

WVitnesses:

J. H. LATEY, JOHN D. WILLIAMs.

